1. Technical Field of Invention 707/10
The present invention is related to entering, manipulating, and accessing data in a computer system database, and specifically for creating, updating, tracking, managing and accessing individual data records.
2. Background of the Invention
The concept of a portfolio has evolved from carrying around objects that demonstrate ones abilities, as an artist might carry sketches to an interview to automated computer repositories. As the portfolio concept evolved and computers became common place professional workers have adapted the power of demonstrating accomplishments. As society and economies adapt to the profound changes that global economics are presenting; individuals, in particular, are increasingly forced to rethink their careers. With the trend to a service-based economy in many developed countries an individual's reliance on a single employer is no longer realistic for many. Adroit individuals have found that in a service-based economy a successful career requires application and integration of specialized knowledge into skill sets. The challenge to individuals is multifaceted; a current record must be immediately available for meeting certifications, job bidding and personal advancement, however, a resume is only a high-level snapshot and lists of “things” add little to fill the information gap. Additionally, many jobs require continuing education and even recertification as a condition for continued employment. Individuals need to have all relevant data available, and the ability to focus this information for selected audiences, rapidly. Accomplishing these challenges with simple approaches such as web-based interfaces utilizing HTML centric platforms does not provide adequate computational depth necessary to implement complex business rules and would not be reflected in the interface. Many of the tools available as “off the shelf” require the use of additional tools and customization to build the necessary support components. Aggregated repositories with resumes, certifications, continuing education, awards, specialization and other career relevant information have been shown valuable but unwieldy, difficult to maintain, monitor and update.
While professionals in the fields with more tangible products (art, graphics and entertainment) portfolios are the norm in such fields they do not lend themselves to more abstract professions such as medical, legal, and engineering. In these professions relevant information and data tend to be more complicated and require adjustment for individual audiences. A portfolio concept was initially proposed by Rita Monson [The International Society of Nursing Genetics]. This approach allows nurses to apply for certification by submitting an assembled paper portfolio for review. This portfolio was then individually duplicated and sent to evaluators for subjective review to grant certification. This process satisfies the informational needs but creates a massive paper burden with the resulting cost and handling problems.
Similar challenges are experienced by organizations one such example is designation of Magnet status for hospitals. Hospitals, to achieve Magnet designation, a recognition by the American Nurses' Credentialing Center which identifies a hospital's commitment to quality beyond meeting basic regulatory requirements for the purposes of improved patient outcomes and enhance financial viability. Included in these initiatives is the submission of nursing/professional portfolios for each staff member. This effort requires assembly, coping, submitting, and maintaining portfolios on a massive scale. Additionally, for all sizable organizations boxes of portfolio information must be submitted as part of the application process. The nature of archival data is that of a tomb, that is data stored in this manner is not dynamic and is difficult to interact with. This is in contrast to the demands of the market place that is dynamic and constantly changing requirements. Therefore to meet the current dynamic work place challenges there exists a necessity for a system with the following capabilities:
An intelligent automated organizational and personal portfolio management means for comprehensive aggregation of an individual professional development data from individuals and employee based organizations which functions to provide individually customizable repositories for individuals and employee based organizations, functioning as a single repository comprising:                providing a complete hardware and software configured system;        providing a stable functionally engineered software solution;        providing a reliable functionally engineered software solution;        implementing an improved system supportability with functional system architecture;        interfacing through a collection of extensible and customizable metaphors;        implementing an early warning communications;        facilitating a complete format flexibility for user upload in system;        facilitating a complete format flexibility for user download from system; and        facilitating a flexible directory look up mapping by user defined keywords.        
Additionally, there exists a need in the professional market place for a storage system and method that facilitates collection, organizing, managing, and maintaining portfolio information in an convenient, structured, maintainable, trackable, and customizable interface.